Low Sodium Foods Please!

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Hi, I am looking for some low sodium foods....OR....how to cut sodium in my diet. I find myself daily going over my limit. I feel like pooh because of it and I need some help. I am trying to loose over 100 pounds and can feel my legs swelling when I eat to much salt. I know that I am retaining water and I don't want that to keep happening. Please HELP!!! Please also feel free to add me. I need all the support I can get right now :)
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  • WendyCollinson2004
    WendyCollinson2004 Posts: 146 Member
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    I don't know any low sodium foods. All I can say is if you get deli meat then make sure it has low sodium. Another thing is to just check the nutritional information when you are buying your food. I don't know what you eat, so I am not much help, but just check your foods for low sodium.
  • jhigg11
    jhigg11 Posts: 121 Member
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    the only real way to reduce is to just eat cleaner. Processed foods are loaded with sodium. Deli meat has good amount of sodium. Reducing sodium and sugar has completely changed how I eat. I have lost 20lbs in the last 65 days just by paying attention to sodium and adjusting my diet accordingly. I recently started paying attention to the sugar. I am a sugar bug, and I know that if you have high sugar it can make you crave and eat more.
  • willia123
    willia123 Posts: 60 Member
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    hey there...you can add me if you want. My diary is open to my friends. I eat very low sodium- you may be able to get some ideas from my diary.
  • sun33082
    sun33082 Posts: 416 Member
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    Cut out processed foods.

    Vegetables, fruits, and meats (that aren't injected with salt water) are all very low in sodium :)
  • Goal_Line
    Goal_Line Posts: 474 Member
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    The good news, this is REALLY easy. Don't eat anything out of a box. Fruits veggies, lean protean (that not smoked or cured in some way).

    If you can't look at the food and visualize it growing or walking around on farm don't eat it.
  • sjackson902
    sjackson902 Posts: 154 Member
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    Hi, GreenEyes. What kinds of foods do you eat?
  • DeMarraDontStop
    DeMarraDontStop Posts: 342 Member
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    I am always at or over 2500 mg of sodium, but its just from foods, I don't add any extra salt to my food. To kind of even it out or flush some, I drink at least 1/2 my body weight in water (about 86 ounces) or a little more. It has worked for me so far. Good luck!
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
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    Fruits

    Vegetables

    Pasta and rice made with unsalted water

    Swiss cheese

    Fresh meat (not deli meat, or chicken/pork that's been plumped with saline)

    Make your own bread

    Cook beans from dry instead of canned

    Make your own salad dressings

    Honestly, if you make things from scratch instead of buying canned/packaged/processed, it's pretty easy to keep sodium in check.
  • CandeesLand
    CandeesLand Posts: 200
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    Many things that come in a can or jar that don't say "low or reduced sodium" usually have a lot, breads are insanely high in sodium and any kind of frozen dinner has almost a whole days worth! If you wanna add me you can to check out my diary. I'm not perfect, but I have managed to cut out a lot of salt and generally can do it with out noticing too much. Dry beans instead of canned. I was suprised by how much was in my frozen chicken breasts, now I only buy them if there is less sodium than calories. Make your own pasta sauce. I never add the salt called for in almost any recipe (yes, even when baking).
  • jr1985
    jr1985 Posts: 1,033 Member
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    Eat clean, unprocessed foods... Yes, it takes A LOT more time to prepare all of your meals, but well worth it, processed foods are loaded with sodium and while they are super easy and taste good, they just aren't great for you.

    Also eat things with a lot of potassium, it helps rid your body of sodium... I really am starting to think that beans really are the "magical fruit" Lima beans don't really have a taste I don't think they have TONS of fiber and potassium, a good amount of proteins too, no fats, slow carbs and no sodium if you make them from the dried packages... yes that takes a lot of time to prep too. but well worth it... I eat bean brownie batter every morning... It really does taste pretty good... blend 3 cups of cooked and drained lima beans, 1 cup of steal cut oats, about 20 mint leaves from the herb garden, 2 tbs of unsweetened cocoa powder and 2 tbs of truvia in a food processor... makes 8 servings, only around 85 calories per serving, half of your daily recomendation of fiber and keeps me full all morning. Sure it doesn't taste like a real brownie, but still not bad.
  • Desika87
    Desika87 Posts: 111
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    Try to eat fresh and "clean"... I try to cook as much as possible and not using processed or precooked food... The best thing (at least in my country) it's much cheaper, less stomach problems and you know how much sodium you're using :-)) Good luck :-)

    For swollen legs/feet: put a spoon baking soda into tepid water and bath your feet in it... Then change between warm and ice cold water and wash your legs with circular motion... Rub them dry from bottom to top and I hope you'll feel like having new legs :-) I had swollen legs very often 4 years ago due to a medical problem and that helped me better than any medication :-)
  • Desika87
    Desika87 Posts: 111
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    Fruits

    Vegetables

    Pasta and rice made with unsalted water

    Swiss cheese

    Fresh meat (not deli meat, or chicken/pork that's been plumped with saline)

    Make your own bread

    Cook beans from dry instead of canned

    Make your own salad dressings

    Honestly, if you make things from scratch instead of buying canned/packaged/processed, it's pretty easy to keep sodium in check.

    great :-) but it depends which Swiss cheese... I live in Switzerland and we have a lot of sorts with a huge amount of sodium... I don't know, maybe in the US "Swiss cheese" is just one of them... :-) Good luck everyone
  • nolakris
    nolakris Posts: 98 Member
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    Minimize your processed foods. A lot of low fat foods replace the fat with salt to pump up the flavor.
    I realize it's a pain to cook everything from scratch, but it's worth it. On Sunday's I usually have something in the crockpot and another dish or two on the stove/oven. It really saves time during the week, we can just warm everything up, toss a salad together and we have a home cooked meal in 10 minutes. It helps to wash/chop all your fruit and veggies when you come home from the store.
  • nrvo
    nrvo Posts: 473 Member
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    I try to watch my sodium as well; my diary is open if you want to check it out. Here are a few random things I do:

    It helps to try to eat foods that are less processed, and I've stopped adding salt. I think salt substitutes taste terrible, so I try to use lemon, lime, hot pepper, and salt-free Mrs. Dash seasonings to add flavor.

    I love beans, but I've realized that most of the cans have ridonk amounts of sodium, even in some of the "low sodium" varieties. I never have the foresight or patience to boil my own from the bag (which is definitely ideal), so if you're like me, check out the organic cans. I've found that the store brand organic beans at my grocery store have waaaay less sodium.

    Tomato sauce also has a butt-ton of sodium; I buy no-salt-added marinara and add basil and garlic for flavor.

    Oh and another one of my favs - to marinate chicken, I use lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and black pepper. Super delish on the grill and no added sodium!
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
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    great :-) but it depends which Swiss cheese... I live in Switzerland and we have a lot of sorts with a huge amount of sodium... I don't know, maybe in the US "Swiss cheese" is just one of them... :-) Good luck everyone

    Haha - yes - at American grocery stores, there is one type of cheese generally labeled 'Swiss Cheese' and it has about a quarter the sodium than cheddar, gouda, mozzarella, etc.
  • jcstanton
    jcstanton Posts: 1,849 Member
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    Hi, I am looking for some low sodium foods....OR....how to cut sodium in my diet. I find myself daily going over my limit. I feel like pooh because of it and I need some help. I am trying to loose over 100 pounds and can feel my legs swelling when I eat to much salt. I know that I am retaining water and I don't want that to keep happening. Please HELP!!! Please also feel free to add me. I need all the support I can get right now :)

    Try to stay away from canned/processed foods as much as possible. Also, deli meats are loaded with sodium. Sara Lee does make a LowER Sodium turkey breast, ham, and chicken breast, but there's still alot of sodium in it, so I eat it in half servings (2 slices). You can get no sodium added tuna, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and sometimes kidney beans. I use a combination of the three canned tomato products and add Italian seasoning, onion, green pepper, and mushroom to make my own tomato sauce instead of using Prego, Ragu, etc, which has loads of sodium in it. Fresh/frozen veggies are best, though. Invest in some good herbs and spices, then learn how/when to use them. That way you can add flavor to your meals without relying on the salt shaker. Stay away from sodas and processed drinks. Cheeses are also high in sodium, so use them sparingly. Canned soups are also notoriously high in sodium. I like to buy lots of fresh veggies at the Farmers Market in the summer time and make my own veggie soup, then can it or freeze it so I have some during the cold months. Read the labels on everything. If it has more than 140mg of sodium per serving, it is not considered a low sodium food. 5mg or less is considered no sodium. This is everything I can come up with off the top of my head, but here is an article that may have some more ideas.

    http://my.clevelandclinic.org/healthy_living/Nutrition/hic_Low-Sodium_Diet_Guidelines.aspx
  • pferde01
    pferde01 Posts: 16
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    I have been researching this, too lately. Unfortunately for me, there isn't much way around preparing everything yourself! lol

    But if you are like me, not a great cook and/or busy :), start with small swaps. Look at your diary and pick one thing you can find a low sodium substitute. This week I packed swiss cheese as a snack instead of string cheese and prepared my own brown rice for the week instead of using the 90 second zap variety! Bread's sodium content was a surprise to me, I'm trying to eat less and using those "thins" for sandwiches.

    I am planning to find a health food store in my area to see if I can find a few low sodium dressing type preparation staples.
  • jcstanton
    jcstanton Posts: 1,849 Member
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    I have been researching this, too lately. Unfortunately for me, there isn't much way around preparing everything yourself! lol

    But if you are like me, not a great cook and/or busy :), start with small swaps. Look at your diary and pick one thing you can find a low sodium substitute. This week I packed swiss cheese as a snack instead of string cheese and prepared my own brown rice for the week instead of using the 90 second zap variety! Bread's sodium content was a surprise to me, I'm trying to eat less and using those "thins" for sandwiches.

    I am planning to find a health food store in my area to see if I can find a few low sodium dressing type preparation staples.

    I love sandwich thins! They have been a Godsend for me. It's more like using only one regular slice of bread at a time, but you still feel like you're getting a whole sandwich. Plus, I like to get the Nature's Own Multi-grain with Flax Seed, that way I'm getting extra fiber and some Omega 3's (from the flax seed).
  • Desika87
    Desika87 Posts: 111
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    great :-) but it depends which Swiss cheese... I live in Switzerland and we have a lot of sorts with a huge amount of sodium... I don't know, maybe in the US "Swiss cheese" is just one of them... :-) Good luck everyone

    Haha - yes - at American grocery stores, there is one type of cheese generally labeled 'Swiss Cheese' and it has about a quarter the sodium than cheddar, gouda, mozzarella, etc.

    Good to know :D have to try this "Swiss cheese" one day ^^
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Options
    Fruits

    Vegetables

    Pasta and rice made with unsalted water

    Swiss cheese

    Fresh meat (not deli meat, or chicken/pork that's been plumped with saline)

    Make your own bread

    Cook beans from dry instead of canned

    Make your own salad dressings

    Honestly, if you make things from scratch instead of buying canned/packaged/processed, it's pretty easy to keep sodium in check.

    great :-) but it depends which Swiss cheese... I live in Switzerland and we have a lot of sorts with a huge amount of sodium... I don't know, maybe in the US "Swiss cheese" is just one of them... :-) Good luck everyone
    In the US Emmental Cheese is called "Swiss Cheese."